Of Wrangling And Ranching
by ThePaintedSkies
Summary: Wrangler Samantha Walker decided to become a Rancher with her sisters- and in her new life, there she meets a silent cowboy, Vaughn. Her interest is peaked and she'll stop at nothing to get him to open up. Vaughn/OC.Rated T for Language. Genre may change.
1. Chapter 1

Hey ya'll! This is my first Harvest Moon story- and the first time I write something that seems kinda… well… Western. So I hope you all can give me feedback for this story! It's pretty much OC centric (I mean, isn't Harvest Moon pretty much like that? You control the characters and what not -shrug- ) Anyway… without further ado, I present you to the story, with a mini introduction to the three new gals.

Character 1: Samantha Walker

Hair color and style: Short black hair with one blue streak.

Eye color: Sky blue(Mother's eye color)

Family: Amanda, Crystal (Sisters) Roberto (elder brother), Rob and Maggie (mother and father)

Occupation: First an assistant secretary, then a Wrangler/Cowgirl- now becoming a Rancher.

Likes: Sweets, Corn, Stew, Fruits, Flower, Oatmeal, Seafood

Dislikes: Junk, Weeds Spicy Foods

Favorite Animals: Horse, Cow, Chicken, Cat

General Likes: Horse riding, farming, wrangling, wild rags, music, the 'cowboy look'

General Dislikes: Arrogance, Animal abuse, Getting things the easy way, The city, Pollution

Tools: Hoe, Hammer, Seeds, Rope, Milker

Info: One of the three "Rancher Sisters", Samantha was always a city girl with a heart for the country. At a young age, her mom made her the assistant of one of her company's secretaries. When she hit fifteen, her mother decided it was time to get her a fiancée, so the company would remain powerful. Completely objecting the idea, Samantha ran away, heading to the country side. Little to her knowledge, her younger sisters followed her. The three worked on a Ranch as helping hands. The younger girls simply went around watering crops and taking care of the chickens and sheep while Samantha decided she'd like to do harder labor. She practiced tilling the fields first and planting crops until finally she was allowed to learn how to be a Wrangler. Soon she became a full fledged Cowgirl. After a few years of living the life, she decided it was time for her and the girls to go on their own. She took the two on a boat, heading for any far away land. She sometimes can get easily frustrated if it's something that could be handled rather easily- but most of the times, she welcomes any and all things that seem like a challenge. Sometimes slips into "Cowboy Speak". The one thing she'll keep from her city life is her beloved music device ( iPod).

Character 2: Amanda Walker

Hair Color and Style: Long black hair tied in pig tails (With 2 panda-esque hair ties) with a green streak in her bangs.

Eye color: Mint green (Father's eye color)

Family: Same as Samantha's

Occupation: First Student, then farmer.

Likes: Sweets, Fruits, Cooked meals

Dislikes: Vegetables, Ugly things

Favorite Animals: Sheep, Dog, Cat

General Likes: Annoying her older sisters, fluffy animals, playing pranks, collecting stuff, ringing the bell to gather animals so Samantha can herd them, good food.

General Dislikes: Having to smell animal manure, unbearably hot weather.

Tools: Rucksack, Watering can, Bell, Sheers

Info: The youngest "Rancher Sister"- It's hard to tell that she's an adult. She looks extremely young, and she still likes playing immature pranks. She followed her eldest sister, knowing that if she stayed behind, her mom would try to marry her off to someone else. Didn't have a knack for the country side, but started liking it once she fell into the lifestyle. She's not too physically able, so she does the easier chores that don't require as much strength. She's excited for the new life that she and her sisters are going to now live. The one thing Amanda loves is good cooking.

Character 3: Crystal Walker

Hair color and style: Long black hair, sometimes loose or sometimes tied in a single pony tail, with a purple streak in her bangs.

Eye color: Mint green.

Family: Same as Samantha

Occupation: Student, then a farmer.

Likes: Sweets, Cooked meals, Pretty things

Dislikes: Seafood, Vegetables, Ugly things

Favorite Animals: Dog, Cat, Sheep

General Likes: Food, Lazing around, Fishing, Trying to sing, Cutting/Chopping things

General Dislikes: Getting dirty, anything that looks ugly, Having to stay in one place, Having to work all day.

Tools: Basket (To send the crops to ship), Fishing Rod, Sickle, Axe

Info: Crystal is the middle child of the "Rancher Sisters". She left with Samantha knowing she'd have to get married if she didn't. Love roaming, and sort of likes the farming life- sans the getting dirty part, which she normally does, being the one who has to send things to ship. The most chique out of the three girls- still has a hard time getting rid of her city like qualities. She's a bit of a jerk and tends to be a little too straight forward. Loves meddling in other people's affairs. She can't wait to start her new life for the fact that she'll get to meet new people (preferably to annoy).

And now, that the three girls are pretty much glossed over, and some of their peculiarities are revealed, let's get this show on the road! (Note that Sam will be using Cowboy speak sometimes. Any questions about it, feel free to ask :3 )

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_Chapter 1: Trouble at Sea_

"Christ, you just _had_ to have us board this stupid ship, didn't you Sam?! You totally could have waited until another one was about to leave… but no… You had to set us in an animal transportation ship! I can't get a wink of damn sleep with all these… stupid… CHICKENS!" My younger sister Crystal shrieked. She had been complaining ever since we got onto this ship, and goodness knows how long ago that was.

"We can shank 'em all and make some tasty hot wings out of them!" Amanda, my youngest sister proclaimed merrily.

"For the love of the Harvest Goddess… will ya'll shut your traps?!" I shouted over their voices. "You two have been goin' on about the most ridiculous things since we boarded this ship! Crystal, buck the hell up already! You'll be livin' with a bunch of chickens soon! And Amanda, how many darn times will I have to remind ya, we do NOT eat the animals!" I let out a long sigh while I grabbed the rim of my Stetson hat and placing it atop my head. I made my way over to the door, adjusting my wild rag that was slightly too tight around my neck and looked back at the younger idiots. "I'm goin' to the deck for some air. If I stay in here any longer, I might catch stupid."

"FINE! Leave us here with these stupid chickens!" Crystal yelled while chucking a pillow at me.

I simply slapped it to the side and grinned. "Go 'head and stay here with these chickens, I'll be seein' more chikens along with some horses and cows up there. See ya!" I waved and slammed the door shut, making my way to the stairs. As I scaled them, I realized the boat seemed a little uneasy. When I made my way all the way up, I realized there was a storm going on, and all the animals were still being evacuated slowly. "The hell is this?!" Seemed the people wrangling the animals were doing a poor as hell job. "Ya'll pathetic!"

A man cringed and looked in my direction. He had short black hair and gave me a look. He was middle aged, and seemed unhappy at me snapping at him. "I don't see you doing _any_ better, stupid brat!"

"That's cuz you need to stand aside!" I yelled while running out to the deck. I grabbed a bell from my pouch and began ringing it, catching the animals attention. "C'mon, all of ya'll inside!" I reached for a rope in my pouch and tied the bell onto the first horses neck. From there, the animals started following one after another at a quicker pace. All seemed to be going well, until I realized a horse had gotten spooked. It was nervously pace around, sometimes bucking. At that rate, it could hurt itself or another animal. I had to do something quick. "It's okay sweetie, nothin's gonna happen to you, alright?" I cooed while walking towards it, my palms facing outward. This was going to be difficult. There was no way to stop the thunder from making noise. I had to do this fast. The horse seemed to be calming and reached it's head out to me and touched my face. I reached a hand out and pet it's back. "Now that's a good critter… Now c'mon…" I began walking slowly for it to start following me- but to no avail. Another crackle of thunder frightened the horse and it spun around, the head knocking me over, causing me to go flying across the deck. I went over the bars, and now it seemed as if I were gonna get screwed over and fall over board.

"Vaughn! Thank goodness you're finally up here! We have trouble!" The man who obviously didn't like me cried out. I couldn't see who or what he was talking about as I was about to descend to the salty ocean below.

"Shit…" I muttered as I shut my eyes tight. That's when I realized something wove around me and tightly encircled my body, cutting off my breathing. I gasped as hard as I could for air and opened my eyes, realizing I was dangling in the air by a rope tied around my waist. I laughed inwardly. '_Looks like the Cowgirl's been wrangled…' _I was slowly being raised, but my consciousness was quickly slipping due to the oxygen being cut off from being tied so tightly.

Finally when I got over the railing, I struggled to hold myself up. "Hey. You okay there?" A deep voice questioned me.

"I'm…" I looked up to see my savior. He was a man with silver hair and sharp, bright amethyst eyes that betrayed the way he looked. He seemed pretty 'cool'- as in not a sunshine-y person at all- and he donned a similar Stetson hat. His clothing was very 'cowboy-esque', so I assumed he just may have been a cowboy- especially with the quick save he pulled off by actually catching me with his lasso. But he quickly blurred as my vision- and my consciousness slipped.

…

My eyelashes fluttered as I forced open my eyes. The only thing my gaze was met with was a ceiling. I stared at it for some moments, trying to replay what happened before I blanked out. Horse going crazy? Check. Calming it down? Check. It getting freaked out again by the thunder? Check. The same horse knocking me out of the ship? Check. Wrangled by a pretty good lookin' cowboy? Che-- Oh damn. That's when I realized I was laying on a bed. I jerked up and looked around. Unlike my cabin with two annoying sisters, I was in a fairly simple one without much baggage. To me, it seemed like no one was here. "How did I…"

"Finally awake?" That familiar deep voice called out. It was obviously a rhetorical question.

I stiffened as I looked down, and there, I saw a mass of silver. I blinked as I continued observing it. "Um.. Well.. Thanks..." I meekly responded. "For saving me… but uh… where am I?"

"My cabin. You blanked out before I could get any information from you." The man answered simply. "Also, thanks for getting most of the animals in. Someone came and got me a little late."

"No problem. It kinda pissed me off that all them guys up there were pretty incompetent." I answered simply myself. "So um.. Anyway… How's that Dapple Gray that was spookin'? That's m'favorite kind of horse too, I want to make sure the guy got in fine with the others."

The man finally stood to his feet and turned around, allowing me a full view of his figure. "I got 'em in fine then brought you in."

I gave him a dull look. "Hey, you tryin' to call me a horse?"

The guy raised an eyebrow before responding. "I was letting you know that I also made sure to help you before you caught a cold or something."

"Oh. Okay." I continued observing the man while crossing my arms over my chest. "Looks like someone finally ain't all hat, but no cattle."

"Unlike the guys that play dress up, I take my job seriously." He answered solemnly. "Money's always tight. I gotta make a living and can't afford to screw around."

I gave him a curious look before finally deciding to respond. "So, you a Batch, eh?"

"Saying that didn't mean for you to make an inference in my personal life." He answered simply. "Anyway, courting someone isn't worth the candle. People just get in the way."

"Mmm…" I shrugged.

"Putting that aside, you traveling with people on this ship? They might get worried that you vanished."

My eyes widened. "Oh… _shit…_" I sprung to my feet and ran for the door, opening it and looking down both corridors. "Oh man.. Where the _hell_ is my cabin?!"

"I'll take you there. What's your room number?" The guy questioned.

"It's 117." I answered, looking around nervously.

"Follow me." He nodded in a direction and started taking me down corridors, turning through them effortlessly, like had a map of the place painted in his head.

After not so long, I brightened up when I saw my room was down the hall. "Thanks, man! I woulda been lost all day if it hadn't been for you! Well… aside from that, swimmin' with the fishes."

"Think of it as thanks for helping the animals." He simply answered yet again. Man, was he a guy of very few words.

"Think I can get your name, if you don't mind it terribly?" I questioned him, smiling.

"No point. You probably won't ever see me again." He said while turning around.

"… Was it you the guy called? Is it Vaughn?!" I called after him. He stopped for a moment and looked back before he kept walking off. Jackpot! That's totally his name! I looked after him until he completely disappeared from sight and walked into the room. There, Crystal and Amanda were staring at me with stupid grins. "What happened, ya'll brains finally oozed out of your ears?"

"We _were _worried, but we see you were with a guy~" The two called out.

"Heh… whatever." I simply said as I stared out our window. It was almost time to port, I could feel it. Our new life would be starting very soon, and I had a feeling that wouldn't be the last time I saw Vaughn.

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_End Chapter 1. _

_Let me know what you guys think! I want reviews of any kind, any nature! Remember, any questions, feel free to ask. :D See ya'll next time at chapter 2~_


	2. Chapter 2

_**DISCLAIMER: **_**I don't own Vaughn or any of the characters except for Sam, Crystal and Amanda. Everyone else belongs to Natsume. **

_Chapter 2: _

"We're here, you guys!" I called out while grabbing my rucksack and tossing it over my shoulder. I quickly snagged my roller bag and led the way out of the room.

"Where is here, anyway? You're an idiot and always travel with the damn wind! I bet we won't even find anything for us." Crystal muttered as she collected her belongings.

"Didn't I tell ya sometime ago to quit your stupid belly aching?" I responded in an annoyed tone. "Only a freakin' dunderhead like you would think I'd say we're settling on a ranch and not have a place to go."

"Not to be rude and cut in your conversation, but I thought you didn't have a place for us to go either…" Amanda hesitantly added.

I shot them both a glare and led the way out. "So much for you both having faith in your elder sister. Morons." The three of us filed out with the herd of livestock- of course there being cows meant it took a long while. While on the trip down, I noticed the Dapple Gray that had spooked yesterday and weaved my way through a few cows and chickens to get to it. "Hey there, big fella! You doin' okay now, right?" I smiled and questioned the horse as I pat it's back gently. The horse perked it's ears up and bowed it's head, looking as if it were nodding. I let out a small laugh. "Good critter, hope wherever you're going, they treat you well." I gave it one more pat before falling back towards my sisters.

"Wow. You love a horse you just met more than us." Crystal feigned sadness as she wiped an imaginary tear away. "So.. So cruel…"

"Oh, can it." I waved her off as we took a turn to descend down a stair way. There, I spotted a very old man, seeming as if he were waiting for someone. I shot a grin and began waving towards him. "Taro, right?! We're here!!"

The old man's head bobbed up and he walked towards the stair well. Amanda quirked an eyebrow. "You mean we're staying with that old coot?"

"No, idiot." I muttered quickly as I ran down the stairs. I jumped to skip a mass of stairs and when I hit the bottom, I gave the old man a salute. "Samantha Walker. Those girls up there are Amanda and Crystal Walker, my younger sisters. We're the one's who are moving into the ranch."

"I figured as much." Taro nodded. "So you girls already have more than enough experience, right?"

I nodded my head vehemently. "Yes! I have done field work, and I'm also a Wrangler."

"So you're a cowgirl?" A woman's voice asked. I whipped my head around and saw a woman walking towards us- middle aged with blonde hair and blue eyes. "The man who helps me is a cowboy. I'm sure he'll be amused when he meets you. Oh, by the way, I'm Mirabelle. I own the animal shop in town."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Samantha Walker." 2nd introduction today. I'm so going to get sick of saying my name.

"Since my daughter will be taking care of the animals at the shop and the shipment we'll be receiving, let me give you a tour of your ranch." Mirabelle motioned me in the direction I was to start walking in. I nodded at Crystal and Amanda and the two followed us. Taro remained behind.

After a bit of walking, we reached a bridge, in which we began crossing. "So… why exactly are we going to some secluded area?" Crystal finally broke our silence. I elbowed her in the side pretty hard, keeping a dull expression as to not seem like I did anything while she let out a loud yelp.

Mirabelle let out a chuckle as we finally went over the bridge. Then we finally noticed- a nice house… a barn… a chicken coop… shed… the works. "That's because your ranch is here on this island. There are a lot of islands here on Sunshine Island, and this is the one you'll be living in!"

Crystal, Amanda and my mouths went agape. "Oh… my.. . GOD! This is AMAZING!" The three of us chimed at the same time.

"Your animals are already taken care of for now, thanks to the part timer. He works animal transport, and sometimes I have him part time tending to the animals here." Mirabelle explained.

I whipped my head to face her. "Animals?! You mean we already have animals?!"

Mirabelle nodded. "Yes. There used to be a girl and boy who lived here. The two fell in love and decided to start a family else where and left the islands, after our part timer agreed to tending to the livestock."

"That's so sweet!" Amanda interjected.

"That brings me to ask a question… do you girls mind if the part timer continues staying here for a while, until you all are good with the animals?" Mirabelle questioned.

"Nah, that's all good." I dismissed, still looking around in awe.

"So you don't mind that he's a guy?" Mirabelle added.

"Sam!!" Crystal and Amanda shouted in unison.

"You know better than to do something that stupid, we're girls…" Amanda whispered to me.

I simply shrugged. "I don't see what's wrong with it. As long as he's a good guy you can trust Mirabelle, s'fine with me."

"Sam!" Crystal whined. "But that's-"

"Don't worry, I assure you he's good. Also, there's locks on the doors, so you all will be fine!"

Crystal and Amanda sighed in relief while I just made my way into the house. I opened the door and peered inside, seeing a nice sofa and kitchen, as well as an upstairs- most likely leading to bedrooms. I scaled upstairs to check it out. There were two rooms- a large room with two beds, and a slightly smaller room with one bed. This was so totally my room. I dropped my rucksack there, so I can be noted that I staked claim on this one. No way was I sharing.

"I'm here, Mirabelle." I heard an oddly familiar voice call out. My body stiffened and I ran towards the stairs.

"Oh, good! The girls are here already!" Mirabelle chimed from afar. "This one is Crystal Walker, this is Amanda Walker, and…" I stopped abruptly at the last step and looked out into the room. "That is Samantha Walker."

"AHHH!" I yelled and pointed. Before me stood the amethyst-eyed, silver haired cowboy. "Vaughn?!"

Mirabelle raised an eyebrow. "You two know each other?"

"Was this the guy you were with in the boat?" Amanda questioned.

"Um.. Well.. Eheh… long story!" I dismissed, waving a hand. "Anyway! A pleasure to meet you more formally!" I shot a grin.

Vaughn simply tipped his hat. "Who would have known you were the new lady who'd be running this ranch..."

I laughed lightly. "This was pretty soon for never seeing you again, don't you think?"

Vaughn looked slightly taken aback, then wore an unreadable expression. "Pretty much. Anyway, I'm off to do the work for the animals." Vaughn turned away to leave.

"Um.. Wait.. I can help you…" I held a hand out, attempting to spend some more time with him to get to know him.

"…" Vaughn scrutinized me for a moment before starting to walk off. "Don't bother me. You'll get in my way." He was out the door and it closed shut.

I bristled and my hand fell at my side. What the _hell_ exactly did I do wrong?

"Tch. See Sam, that's what you get. He's exactly the kind of person you hate." Crystal remarked.

"Hold on! Vaughn isn't bad… he just likes keeping his distance. He's a little… edgy around people." Mirabelle explained.

"… I swear by all the power I can muster, I will figure out what is the deal with that man! I'll get him to open up to me even if I die doing so!" I hollered while gritting my teeth. I stormed towards the window and looked as his figure retreating into the barn. I bit my lip and decided to chase after him, stomping my way to the door.

Crystal smirked. "Looks like the fat, little cherub hit someone with the arrow of lov-"

"Say it and you'll die later!" I yelled, making Crystal snap her mouth shut. I slipped out the door and made my way for the barn.

If he acted like that to me, who was being kind and offering my help, I could imagine that's how he'd act towards just about anyone else. I swear, I'll crack this cowboy open.

-_End Chapter 2_


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